Southwest engine explodes over water during OKC family's flight to Disney

Plane landed safely; no injuries reported

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Updated: 6:57 PM EDT Aug 27, 2016

PENSACOLA, Fla. —

An Oklahoma City family's trip to Disney World took a detour Saturday morning after a Southwest Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

A metro woman said she, her husband and their three children -- two of whom are ages 5 and 7, and the third is a baby -- were on Flight 3472 from New Orleans to Orlando when, while over water, she heard a loud explosion.

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"It was just a big explosion. There was some smoke and then nothing," she said in a phone interview with KOCO 5. "I saw parts flapping in the wind because it was right outside my window."

The plane started to shake descend rapidly, and oxygen masks fell. People -- including the woman's children -- were screaming and crying while she was trying to stay calm as the plane was falling fast, she said.

"I held my kids, and one was freaking out, crying. And so, we're trying to hold his hand and singing and praying a lot," she said.

... and it was thanks to that pilot that we're all alive.

"I had my faith in God, so I knew that whatever was going to happen, He was with us," the mother of three said. "So I was able to stay calm. It wasn't until after I got on the ground that I got emotional."

After the pilots stabilized the plane, one came out and told passengers that one of the engines was lost, she said. The pilots conducted an emergency landing in Pensacola, Florida, where Southwest Airlines officials are working to get passengers to their final destination.

"(The crew) stayed professional. They were amazing," she said. "I mean, we couldn't have had a better crew, and it was thanks to that pilot that we're all alive."

Photo courtesy of Tami Richards

The Oklahoma City family is waiting for another flight so they can move past the turbulent start to the vacation. The National Transportation Safety Board is inspecting passengers' luggage, a process that the mother said would take several days.

The family has since boarded another plane and are on their way to Orlando.

"I'm nervous, but I'm really shaken up," the woman said. "I'm not going to let it (ruin the vacation). We're just going to put this behind us and move on the best we can."

The trip to the Happiest Place on Earth is the children's first.

Southwest Airlines released the following statement about the flight:

Today, the Captain of Flight #3472 from New Orleans to Orlando made the decision to divert to Pensacola due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine. The flight landed safely without incident at Pensacola International Airport at 9:40 a.m. central time. Initial reports indicate there were no injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members on board. We have notified the NTSB, and when authorized, we will be inspecting the aircraft to assess the damage. The aircraft is out of service, and we will work to accommodate the passengers to Orlando or their final destination as soon as possible.

The Federal Aviation Administration released the following statement:

Southwest Airlines flight 3472, a Boeing 737, from Louis Armstrong New Orleans Intentional Airport to Orlando International Airport was diverted due to an apparent engine malfunction. The flight declared an emergency and landed safely at Pensacola International Airport just before 9:45 AM Central Time. The FAA will investigate.